Probably my dorkiest title to date. If you're not well-versed in the Potter-universe, this title refers to the species of dragon that a certain Miss Fleur Delacour had to pass in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament (Goblet of Fire). And yes, that is just a random fact that I am able to pull out of my brain at a moment's notice. I often wonder what other things have been squeezed out to make room for all the Potter trivia I possess in my noggin. This is probably why I can't deal with fractions...
In case I've never mentioned it before -- Hi, my name is Sallie Barbee, and I am a complete Harry Potter fiend. Please don't tell me you are a Potter fan if you've only watched the movies. Please don't tell me you are a Potter fan if you've only read the books once (pshaw!) If you've read the books more times than you can count, regularly have Harry Potter movie marathons (even if your heart will always belong to the books) and feel that the best parts of your personality have been shaped by Albus Dumbledore ... THEN we can talk! Just kidding. All types of Potter fans are welcome here. (That's a lie. Movie-only fans, please exit stage right, thanks).
I blame my recent trip to Universal Studio's Wizarding World of Harry Potter for my recently inflamed Potter madness (I say inflamed rather than rekindled, because, as a true fan, the flame never goes out). Honestly, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. But as soon as I saw Hogwarts and turned the corner into Hogsmead I was overcome with emotion. It really hit home what a huge influence those 7 books have had on my life. They are what I (continue to) turn to when I feel stressed, or lonely. They've got me through breakups and grad school and moving across the country. I listen to the audio books on repeat in my sewing room (I prefer Stephen Fry's reading over Jim Dale). I'm not ashamed to admit that in certain situations I've thought to myself "this is like that time that Hermione did this..." or "that's like when Ron said..." or pretty much anything Dumbledore said to Harry - ever.
Okay, I can see you guys slowly backing away from my blog, smiling and nodding... But don't go! I swear I'm not crazy! Or completely lame. I just really love Harry Potter. So when I came home from my trip to Florida and began working on this dress, all I could see in its pretty chartreuse and white pattern was dragon scales. And it will forever, in my mind at least, be my dragon dress. (See what I did there? See? Yeah, bet you didn't think I was ever gonna turn this back around to sewing, huh?)
This is the Sewaholic Lonsdale dress, view B, made up in
I'm stopping myself before I go on a longer rant about that. You're welcome. So for my Lonsdale dress I made a straight size 4 (truth be told my hip measurement does actually put me in a size 2, but the dress skims the hips so I wasn't too worried about it). It actually ended up a bit loose in the bodice, particularly through the bust, but the fit is so forgiving because of the knotted front and adjustable ties that it's easy to just hoist the dress into a place that feels comfortable and go with it! I decided to use a lapped zipper insertion for the first time in, oh, forever. Sometimes it's nice to pull out underused techniques, if only to remind yourself that you can still do them.
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| Please excuse all the bruises on my upper back! I had no idea they were this bad till I saw the photos. Believe it or not, they are from loading barbells on my back... |
The fabric was an utter delight to work with. Viscose is quickly becoming a fiber I keep an eye out for. Like rayon, it makes for a very breathable summer garment, and it seems to add a certain softness and drape to whatever fabric it's worked into. This particular viscose crepe has a beautiful weight to it, while still maintaining a lovely fluid drape. Perfect for a long, swishy skirt. The crepe texture gives it an almost spongy hand and it has the softness of brushed cotton against the skin. Plus, it's opaque! Hooray for no linings!
It was a bit of an odd purchase for me, because I would normally have steered clear of chartreuse-y greens, under the assumption that they would look heinous with my skin tone. What possessed me to buy 4 yards of this, I'll never know! Perhaps it was some "Color Me Beautiful" era deity whispering in my ear, or maybe I was already subconsciously responding to it's dragon-scale charm? No matter, I'm so glad I gave chartreuse a go! Not only does it not do heinous things to my complexion - I actually think it's rather flattering! Especially with a punchy orange-red lip!
This shoulder-baring style, and throw-on elegance feels so right to me for the sweltering late summer days. The truth is, nothing is going to make you feel cool in this kind of weather, so the least you can do is throw on a bit of color, show some skin, and make the best of it! And this dress has that magic quality of making me feel feminine and flirty and put-together, even if I feel like I'm more ass-crack-sweat than girl at the moment...
And on that happy mental image, I think we'll call this blog post done and dusted! I hope you're all having a glorious August! And to keep with the Potter love of this post, I'll leave you with a few of Albus Dumbledore's choice words:
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
xx
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